Lincoln County tornado history

23 tornadoes touched Lincoln County, North Carolina between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.3 a year. The strongest was rated F4 (May 5, 1989). Tornadoes here killed 4 and injured 64 people.

23tornadoes since 1950

F4strongest rating

4killed · 64 injured

14 milongest path · 1989

(E)F0(E)F1(E)F2(E)F3(E)F4(E)F5· dots = start point only

By rating

(E)F08

(E)F111

(E)F23

(E)F30

(E)F41

(E)F50

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: May.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
May 5, 1989	F4	14 mi	800 yd	52	4
Oct 26, 2010	EF2	2.6 mi	200 yd	11	0
May 7, 1998	F2	2 mi	440 yd	0	0
Nov 15, 2006	F2	1 mi	30 yd	0	0
Oct 23, 2017	EF1	12.3 mi	100 yd	0	0
Feb 6, 2020	EF1	7.5 mi	100 yd	0	0
Apr 19, 2008	EF1	4.9 mi	25 yd	0	0
Mar 7, 1992	F1	4.5 mi	150 yd	0	0
Apr 19, 2008	EF1	4.3 mi	30 yd	0	0
Jul 13, 2010	EF1	3.2 mi	650 yd	0	0
May 15, 2003	F1	3 mi	100 yd	0	0
Jul 13, 2005	F1	3 mi	75 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured
May 3, 2025	EF0	1.3 mi	20 yd	0
Feb 6, 2020	EF1	7.5 mi	100 yd	0
Apr 19, 2019	EF0	7.1 mi	100 yd	1
Oct 23, 2017	EF1	12.3 mi	100 yd	0
Oct 26, 2010	EF2	2.6 mi	200 yd	11
Jul 13, 2010	EF1	3.2 mi	650 yd	0
Jul 13, 2010	EF1	0.3 mi	100 yd	0
May 11, 2008	EF0	0.1 mi	20 yd	0
Apr 19, 2008	EF1	4.9 mi	25 yd	0
Apr 19, 2008	EF1	4.3 mi	30 yd	0
Nov 15, 2006	F0	0.1 mi	30 yd	0
Nov 15, 2006	F2	1 mi	30 yd	0

Deadliest: May 5, 1989, F4, 4 killed.

Nearby counties

Catawba County, NC20 Gaston County, NC21 Cleveland County, NC29 Mecklenburg County, NC29 Iredell County, NC23 Alexander County, NC11 Burke County, NC10 York County, SC24

Questions

How many tornadoes has Lincoln County, North Carolina had?

23 tornadoes touched Lincoln County, North Carolina between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.3 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Lincoln County?

The strongest rating recorded was F4 on May 5, 1989, with a 14-mile path and 4 deaths.

When is tornado season in Lincoln County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in May (7 of 23). Tornadoes can occur in any month, so keep alerts on year-round.

Right now: live tornado warnings map · alerts for your location. Dates link to that day’s full storm reports where available (2004 onward).